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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23063248">My Sickly Date</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyleBlamedCanada/pseuds/KyleBlamedCanada'>KyleBlamedCanada</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>South Park</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crushes, Crying, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Kindness, Kydi, Men Crying, One Shot, Sick Character, Stuffed Toys, Vomiting, soft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:35:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23063248</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyleBlamedCanada/pseuds/KyleBlamedCanada</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Heidi Turner is in the middle of making a stuffed orca for her crush when he gets violently sick. Her plans change from asking him out to making sure he gets better, but she can't help but feel like he won't like her gift.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kyle Broflovski/Heidi Turner, kydi - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>My Sickly Date</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>          The little surprise had been going well. Over the weekend she went shopping with her friends and was able to buy the fabric she needed. The girls were in the middle of a crafting month, and after googling ideas and asking for suggestions from Wendy and Nichole, one of them had found the perfect thing to make. She had found an easy to follow pattern online, all she had to do was enlarge it a bit and it would be perfect. She had gotten a roll of black fabric and a roll of white fabric, both soft and comfortable to the touch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Between high school, homework, cheerleading, and the science club, she had little free time to work on her project but she didn’t mind. In all honesty, she wanted to take her time with it, make it as perfect as she could. It was a passion project, of sorts. She was almost done with it, and she was so excited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “How’s your stuffie coming along?” Nichole smiled as Heidi put her bag in her locker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “A lot better!” Heidi tucked her binder in her arm and closed her locker. “I actually have control of the sewing machine now. I had to repurchase some fabric, which sucks, but I’m learning! What about you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Nichole giggled and pulled out her phone as the two began to walk, showing off a photo, “Token says it’s an experimental piece but he wouldn’t know art if it hit him in the face.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi gasped at the image of a small clay pot with engraved patterns along the sides, “That’s so good! Are you going to paint it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Maybe, but I’m having trouble finding the right paint for it,” she pocketed her phone and they walked into their homeroom classroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Aw, I’m sure you’ll find something,” the two sat down in the back row and continued to talk about their little projects.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Homeroom didn’t make too much sense. Why not just announce the news over the intercom? It was usually just the same thing anyway, so no one listened. Heidi’s homeroom was always full of chatter, people talking over announcements or on their phones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Today, Token had grabbed Nichole’s attention by grabbing her hand. It made Heidi smile, knowing that the two would probably end up being high school sweethearts. She leaned over to the desk next to her, peaking over Stan’s shoulder on his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She giggled and he looked up, quickly hiding his phone from her and she smirked, “Texting someone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Stan puffed his cheeks and let out the air slowly, “Maybe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “In the middle of class?” Heidi fake-gasped. “Shame on you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Stan laughed a little and looked at her, making a small grin, “You should be scolding Wendy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Is that who you were texting?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Stan froze and widened his eyes, realizing what he said. Heidi, in turn, put a finger to her lips and leaned back, smiling as Stan’s cheeks became red. She turned from him as the classroom lights went out and the school announcements were projected onto the classroom screen. The teachers had given up trying to make the class quiet, so the students didn’t bother paying attention to what the school had to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi watched the announcements, it’s not like she had anything better to do other than people watch. Her eyes glanced at the people in front of her. They were talking to each other, on their phones, or hunched over like a drug addict. The young woman blinked and stared at the front side row of the classroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          He was hunched over his desk, his hands balled up in two fists, his forehead laying against the surface. His eyes were half open and glazed over with short auburn curls falling and sticking to his forehead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi knew Kyle had a specific style to him. Clean, pressed, professional, and respectful, but he wasn’t acting like any of these things. For one thing, his shirt was wrinkled, his coat was unzipped and hanging off his shoulders, he was wearing sweatpants...he never wore sweatpants. At least Heidi never saw him with sweatpants, it was weird to see him like this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          He squeezed his eyes shut and grit his teeth, arching his back more. He looked in pain, like he was trying to control something. He gulped and began to pant, his fists opening and closing. His long fingers ran through his hair and grabbed at the loose strands and tug lightly. His feet dug into the ground, one knee bouncing at lightning speed, making his whole body shiver slightly as if he was freezing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She wanted to go over and ask him if he was okay but that would seem weird, especially since no one else seemed to notice. She sunk in her seat, watching the light from the projector illuminate the sweat on his forehead. Kyle’s head suddenly jolted up and he half-tripped standing from his desk. The tall, lanky, stick of a high schooler darted past the front row and collapsed in front of the trash can by the desk. His pale knuckles grabbed the rim and he shoved his head into the top as his body lurched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The class erupted into a controlled type of chaos. The front of the class rushed to the back, Stan stood and knelt by Kyle’s side, and some students left the classroom entirely. Kyle loudly vomited into the trash bin while students either whispered their worries or disgust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi found herself straightening in her seat as Kyle began to sob as he puked up whatever remained in his stomach. Stan pulled the boy’s curls behind his head and rubbed his back. He was whispering something to his friend as Kyle sprayed acid into the trash.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “He’s sick,” Heidi murmured and she turned to Nichole.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The young woman shook her head, “Poor thing...it must be really bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi looked back at Kyle, who had stopped puking and was leaning over the trash bin, crying and hiding his face. Her heart sank, she felt so bad. She felt like she could do something...but just sat there as Stan comforted him. Heidi knew this wouldn’t bode well for Kyle, especially since it was such a small town with big enemies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi watched as Kyle wiped his mouth and face, his body shaking with soft cries. Instructed by the teacher, Stan stood up with Kyle and led him out of the classroom, both their binders still at their respective desks. Now that the drama was over and the boys were gone, the kids became louder with the discussion of the sickly Kyle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi’s stomach dropped and she sank in her seat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Now what was she supposed to do?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          After cheerleading that evening she went home and went straight to the basement. She threw her backpack to the side and looked at her craft project. She took a deep breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          It was supposed to be a “will you go out with me” gift. That wasn’t going to happen. She picked up the stuffed animal orca, which was about as big as her torso, and looked at her handiwork. She needed to stuff it more, and then sew on the fins and the eyes. She could afford to skip her homework tonight, this was more important.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She worked until a little past two in the morning, extra stuffing the orca and cutting out the fin fabric. She took her time, sewing the parts together for the fin and stuffing those up as well. She made sure every part was sown correctly, secure, and comfortable to hold. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The next day she finished her homework at lunch and after the Science Club, came home to sew the fins onto the orca and pick out the perfect buttons for the eyes. She picked out two soft coral buttons and hand-sewed them into the proper place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She set down the orca and stepped back, looking at her hard work. It was perfect. She hoped it was perfect. It looked absolutely adorable. Would Kyle like it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She licked his lips in worry and picked up the animal, giving it a soft squeeze. She was scaring herself and she had to stop it. Heidi stared at the button eyes. She was missing something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She carried the animal up to her room and took a look around, spotting her dresser. She gently set the orca down on her bed and walked to her dresser, looking through her perfumes. She didn’t want anything too strong, she didn’t want to make Kyle puke again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The young girl frowned as she thought back to Kyle on that day. He looked so miserable and weak, it’s no wonder he cried in front of the class. He must have felt horrible. She bit her lip and picked up a small bottle, opening it up and giving it a soft sniff. It was a roll-on oil perfume with flowers infused in it. She had lost the cover with the scent a long time ago, but she would describe it as a candy-based smell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “This might work,” she thought out loud and flipped the orca on his, or her, back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The liquid was spread across the orca’s stomach before Heidi picked it up again and gave it another squeeze. Maybe she made it too big, it was almost half her size, and she was pretty tiny. It was probably too big. But it did smell really good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Why are you freaking out?” she scolded herself. “Stop freaking out. It’s fine. He’ll love...he’ll like it. Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She carried the orca as she put on her coat and left the house. She walked down the sunny snowy roads. Kyle’s house was only a handful of blocks away, and it was a small town. It was a brisk walk, no need for a car. She needed to burn the calories anyway, and fresh air always did her good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          As Heidi walked closer to Kyle’s house, she felt her chest begin to tighten and sting. She was nervous, of course, but not just because she was giving Kyle a gift. She glanced up, down the road, at a house painted with a coat of dark forest green. She didn’t like that house, but she needed to pass it to get to Kyle’s. Heidi quickened her pace to get past the house as quickly as possible and move onto the navy house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The girls always debated if it was a navy blue or navy green but Heidi had always thought it was turquoise, or even cyan. She made a mental note to ask Stan later on. As she approached Kyle’s house, the one that kind of looked like a washed-out green, the door to his house opened. Heidi almost froze at the sight and the voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I sure hope your son gets better. He must have caught something nasty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “He’ll be healthy again in no time, Eric. Thank you for visiting him,” chimed Mrs. Broflovski. “Oh, Heidi!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Oh, Heidi,” Eric matched the words but not the tone of voice, his eyes trying to lock with hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi quickly looked down as she turned to walk up to the house. She kept her dull eyes on the orca in her hands as Eric Cartman stared at her. She hurried up to the house and smiled at Kyle’s mother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “H-Hi, Mrs. Broflovski, I, uh,” she could feel Eric’s stare. “I-I brought a gift for Kyle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “That is very thoughtful of you, honey. Please, come in. Have a wonderful evening, Eric,” the mother smiled at the boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “You too, Mrs. Broflovski,” he said, clearly, his eyes burning into the back of Heidi’s head as she entered the house. “Be sure not to catch something, Heidi. It’s pretty nasty to hang around something like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Sheila closed the door and sighed, smiling at Heidi, “It’s good to see that you’ve come to visit Kyle. He has been very lonely, even with Stanley and the others visiting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi shook off her chills, pushing Eric’s words away, and smiled back, playing with one of the orca’s flippers, “I-I believe it, Mrs. Broflovski. Um, should I just head up to his room?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I don’t want you getting sick, sweetheart. He’s got the flu.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I’ll be fine, ma’am. I’ve gotten my flu shot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Now, I told Kyle it would be a good idea to get that vaccine. That boy does not like to listen. Follow me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She led Heidi up the stairs and down the hall, stopping at a closed door and knocking on it. From inside the room, Heidi could hear a low moan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Bubby, you have another friend to see you!” Sheila called into the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle groaned in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “It’s Heidi,” Shelia called again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi bit the inside of her cheek as she heard silence come from the room. Oh, this was a bad idea. Kyle didn’t want to see her. He didn’t want a stupid gift. Maybe she should just go, this was a mistake. Eric was right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Then, from the room, a soft “Okay…” answered back and Heidi felt her chest squeeze her heart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Um,” Heidi looked up at Sheila, who opened the door for her and nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She entered the room, smiling softly at Kyle in the dim lighting. Kyle looked up at Heidi and he groaned again, probably as a greeting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Hey,” she softly whispered. “How are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She approached his bedside and couldn’t help but smile. All she could see was a part of Kyle’s face, as the rest of his body was under three other fluffy blankets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Are you comfortable?” she stood by his bed and looked down at his pale skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          He grunted and pulled his blankets down so Heidi could see his face and he blinked up at her, “What are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          His voice was soft but hoarse, he sounded horrible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “You shouldn’t be talking. You’ve been drinking water, right?” she set the orca on the floor and put her hand to his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle grunted and tried to move away from her hand, and with good reason, too. His forehead was caked with sweat. Disgusting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Oh, you poor thing,” she mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Mm. I’m sick. You shouldn’t be here,” his voice cracked with half-opened eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Well, you should have gotten your flu shot,” Heidi retorted and pulled her hand back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle narrowed his eyes and rolled onto his back, “That’s fair. You got yours?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Yes, now stop talking. You already sound like death,” she scolded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Hmm. But what if I don’t want to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Don’t take that tone with me, Kyle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Ah, it’s just the flu.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Kyle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Yes?” he blinked at her with a smirk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi frowned and shook her head, “You’re ridiculous, you know that? Why did you even show up at school?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle’s smirk became wider, “I thought I wasn’t supposed to talk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi stuttered and stared at Kyle, mouth agape in surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The young woman put her hands on her hips and closed her mouth, “Are you...being cheeky? Mr. Broflovski?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle’s smirk turned into a wide, toothful grin, “Maybe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi clicked her tongue and shook her head again. Kyle, in turn, twisted his head away and coughed like death himself before looking up at her. He sniffed and scooted his body so he was sitting up more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Kyle, you shouldn’t be doing that,” she moved forward to properly tuck him in bed but Kyle shooed her hands away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Bah. I’m fine. I’m not that sick, I just look uglier than normal,” he laughed horribly and coughed into his elbow. “B-But seriously, I’m...really glad you’re here. I had to babysit before you came in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Oh?” Heidi tilted her head and sat on the side of the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Yeah. This big, like, eight hundred pound baby came walking in,” he chuckled. “I think he lost his mommy or something, and he wouldn’t stop bothering me until I told him he would catch something worse than the flu.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “What’s worse than the flu?” Heidi asked curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle raised an eyebrow and pointed at his chest, knowingly, “My religion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi covered her mouth and tried not to laugh but couldn’t help herself, “W-Well, that’s not nice, Kyle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle stuck his tongue out at her and then grinned again, “I can say what I want! I...who’s gonna stop me? No one!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi laughed. She had never seen Kyle like this before. Sure, he cracked jokes but he never was so loose like this. He really was sick, the poor thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Okay, you. You need to lay down and sleep,” Heidi reached out to tuck him into his blankets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Surprisingly, Kyle whined and drooped his shoulders, looking like a kicked puppy, “But I don’t want to sleep! I wanna talk with you! Please?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          His hands grabbed Heidi’s and squeezed them weakly, looking at her with glazed, electric-lime eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I…” Heidi was shocked, her heart pounded against her ribs and she felt her cheeks begin to sting with heat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I’ve slept enough, it’s boring and no one wants to hang out. B-But you’re here! I’m glad you’re here, I missed you,” Kyle smiled and then let go of her hands to cough into his arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “You...missed me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I haven’t been able to talk to you for...forever, basically. And Ike stole my phone and I’m 90% sure he’s immune to...literally everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Literally everything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “He looked me right in the eye and...and ate dirt when I told him not to. He...did not die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Wow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I know,” Kyle whispered. “I don’t know where he came from and frankly, I am too afraid to find out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “You are...so sick,” Heidi shook her head, not bothering to hide her smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Thank you…” Kyle bobbed his head, pleased with himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The two sat in silence, Kyle kept his eyes wandering over Heidi’s face while the girl looked down at her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I...get sick a lot,” Kyle forced from his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi looked up at him, her fingers intertwined, “You do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Constantly,” he nodded. “That’s why I went to school.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Because you were sick?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Ah...kind of? I...I hate being sick. It kind of makes me feel...useless?” he shrugged. “Instead of laying in bed for two days I could have been at school learning something. I’m a straight A-plus student, Heidi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I know, you’re extremely smart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Thanks...but I’m not that smart. I thought I just had the case of the chills or something. I didn’t think my head was hurting because I was sick...and then...you know what happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Yeah...I-I’m sorry about that, I should have done something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle leaned forward and put his pale hand over her soft fingers. His palm wrapped around her hand and held it gently. Heidi blushed slightly and smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “You’re here now, and you’re dealing with my stupidity,” he grinned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “You’re not stupid!” Heidi gasped, making the boy laugh loudly until he went into a coughing fit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          As he leaned into his arm, he squeezed Heidi’s hand tightly. Heidi squeezed back as Kyle sniffed and rubbed his nose into his pajamas.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “So,” Heidi tilted her head to the side. “You went to school because you thought you could take it, but didn’t realize you were in a...bad condition.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Basically,” Kyle croaked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “You absolute fool, you need to take care of yourself,” the young girl shook her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Or you could scold me into taking care of myself. Lord knows I will never do anything for myself,” Kyle leaned back into his pillow, sighing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi looked down at her hands, covered by Kyle’s. It made her smile. Even if he was deliriously sick, he was still kind and sweet to her. She looked up at his eyes, watching her movements. It was comforting, in a way, like how a cat stares at someone curiously before approaching. She took in a soft breath in through her nose. It was now or never.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “How about we make a deal, Broflovski?” she smiled with her teeth and an eyebrow raised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle raised his eyebrow to match hers, “Uh oh. What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I have a gift for you. I made it myself. But, if I give this to you, you have to promise me you will start to take care of yourself,” her voice was stern and serious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          His eyes narrowed and stared at her, softly nodding before giving confident nods, “Alright, Turner, we have a deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi pulled her hands away from him to clap them together with a wide, happy smile, “Perfect! Okay, here’s your gift!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She turned and leaned down to pick up the orca off the floor. With the large, stuffed, candy scented beauty in her arms, she stood up and turned back to Kyle, handing out her homemade present.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I really hope you get better soon,” her heart began to beat louder as she held out the animal, prepared for the best and fearing the worst.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle stared at the orca, blinking once in a while and breathing carefully. Heidi licked her lips as all her doubts came crashing in on her. He hated it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “You...made this...you made this?” Kyle pointed at the stuffed animal and looked at Heidi. “You made that? For...me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          His voice cracked and Heidi looked back at him, not knowing what to say. Instead, she nodded, biting her lip lightly. Kyle continued to stare before his breath caught in his throat and small teardrops sprouted in his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          His hands reached out to the orca, taking it by the fins and pulling the animal out of Heidi’s arms. Slowly, he wrapped his hands around the soft fabric, looking into the coral button eyes. He sniffed and brought the orca close to his chest, his body trembling. He sniffed again, tears shaking in his eyes and he buried his face into the orca, a muffled sob coming from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi reached a hand to his shoulder as the sick boy’s body trembled with more sobs. His arms squeezed the animal tightly and he gasped for air to only sob louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Kyle, are you okay?” Heidi’s voice wavered, she couldn’t tell if he loved it or hated it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle lifted his head from the orca, his face run down with tears and snot. He began to frantically wipe his mess off the stuffed orca, whining and sniffing uglily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I-I messed it up!” he looked up, like a child that did something wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi gasped and ran a thumb across his liquid eyes, “No, no, it’s okay! It’s yours now, don’t worry about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Y-You made her for me! I ruined her!” Kyle wailed and pushed his face into the orca again. “She smells so good!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Oh, Kyle,” she smiled and pet his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Her heart was soaring, she couldn’t be happier. He loved it. Her. He loved her, the orca.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “What are you going to name her?” Heidi pet his small curls with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle lifted his head and rubbed his face with his hands, letting the orca rest in his lap, “C-Corla...coral...no, um, Wavey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi laughed and patted the orcas back, “You don’t have to decide right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “No, wait, um, I got it!! Marcy! Her name is Marcy!!” Kyle looked up and sniffled pathetically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Marcy’s a pretty name,” Heidi smiled with a soft blush.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle nodded at her and pet the fabric on the orca, smiling. Maybe he knew what her middle name was, maybe he didn’t, either way, it was a good name for the gift. He wrapped his arms around the orca and laid back in bed, holding her close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Th-Thank you,” he wiped his eyes one last time and took a deep breath to control himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it,” she smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Like it? I love it! How did you know I love orcas?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “You like to talk about them a lot. You said they were your favorite animals.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “They are. They’re so cute! And smart!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi smiled and tucked the blankets around Kyle’s body, fixing his pillow, “They’re friendship-shaped.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I know!” he nuzzled Marcy against his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “You really need to rest, now. I’m glad we talked, and I hope you get well soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle nodded and mumbled a “Fine” before closing his eyes and holding Marcy close. Heidi smiled and turned to leave the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Heidi?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The young girl turned to Kyle and tugged at her shirt, “Yes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I’ll see you at school when I’m better, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Oh! Okay, I’ll see you then,” she smiled at him before exiting the room and closing the door behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She couldn’t be happier. She practically skipped down the stairs and said “Good night” to Mrs. Broflovski before heading home. Even her walk home wasn’t disturbed by Eric Cartman, who watched her from his window. Heidi didn’t notice, the weight of her orca-sized worry had been washed away by the ocean.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Just her luck, the rest of the week went well. She waited patiently for Kyle to become healthy and come back to school. Then, the weekend hit. Monday came. Kyle came to school and Heidi was at home, blowing her nose miserably at home. Lucky, lucky her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          It wasn’t the flu, it was a simple cold. After blowing her nose, she took a sip of her hot tea and shivered. Even with pajamas, a bathrobe, socks, slippers, and a blanket, she was freezing. She wasn’t going to go to school, just stay home and try to get better. Heidi sat on the couch in her living room, watching The Office reruns because what else are you going to watch when you’re a hopeless romantic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Her binge-watching was interrupted by a sharp knock on her front door. She groaned internally, choosing to ignore the knock. After a moment, another sharp knock and Heidi paused the show.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Fine, fine, I’m coming,” she mumbled and stood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She hugged herself in the bathrobe and shuffled over to the door, opening it. She gasped in surprise, looking up suddenly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Hey,” a much healthier and cleared-voice Kyle stood before her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “H-Hey,” Heidi looked up, suddenly aware of how she looked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I didn’t spread the flu to you, did I?” he smiled, a little nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “N-No, no! I-It’s just a cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “That’s good to hear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi looked back at the couch and back at Kyle, “Do you want to come in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          She moved to the side as Kyle nodded and entered the house. He looked to the TV as Heidi closed the door and walked back to the couch to sit down. She pulled the blankets around herself and picked up a tissue, blowing into it like a dainty little flower. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle smiled and sat next to her, “Anything I can do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi shook her head and waved her hand, “No, I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Are you sure?” he put a hand on her back to gently rub it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi nodded and put the tissue into a trash bin at the side of the couch, “Positive. Are you sure you should be here? You’re still recovering from the flu.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Well, I’m actually here because of that. I wanted to thank you for your visit. You said you made that orca for me and uh, I’m not that talented but I still wanted to get you something in thanks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “No, you shouldn’t do that! I was gonna give it to you anyway!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Really?” Kyle chuckled, “Well, either way, I still want you to take my gift.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          From his coat pocket, he pulled out a small, store-bought stuffed animal and held it out to Heidi. It was a fawn, with brown fur, white socks and spots, and big black eyes with a small pink nose. The young woman gasped and gently took the fawn in her arms, petting its tiny head with a soft smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Hey, whenever you’re feeling better…” Kyle scratched his cheek. “...do you want to go out, sometime?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi looked up with wide eyes, frozen, like a deer in headlights, “You mean…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Like a date, or something. Heh,” he looked away, a big blush blossoming on his cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “H-Hey! You can’t do that!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Wh...Why not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I was supposed to ask you out!” Heidi held the fawn tightly, pouting with her cheeks puffed out. “That orca was supposed to be how I asked you out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle stared down at her for a moment, his cheeks growing redder before he burst into laughter, covering his eyes with his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I’m serious, Kyle! Stop laughing!” her tiny hands punched his arm softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I-I’m sorry!” he gasped. “I d-didn’t realize! I didn’t know!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Kyle!” the sickly girl whined and squeezed her stuffed animal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle laughed a little more and smiled at Heidi. She looked adorable, curled up on the couch, clinging to his gift. Even if her hair was a mess, she had no makeup on, and she was in a hundred layers of clothes and blankets, it didn’t matter to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Alright, ask me out,” grinned Kyle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I can’t do that! I already gave you Marcy!” Heidi puffed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “So?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Kyle, you’re ridiculous! Fine!” Heidi threw a hand up and turned to Kyle, leaning up to his face. “Kyle Matthew Broflovski, will you do me the honor of going out on a date sometime after we’re both strong and healthy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle smiled wide, his cheeks and ears match his hair, “Y-Yeah!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          The young woman’s face flared up in embarrassment and she bumped her head into his chest before leaning away, catching the soft smell of mint. Kyle smiled like an idiot and the two sat in comforting silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Heidi looked up at her future date, “You should go. I would hate to get into a cycle of sickness with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Ah!” Kyle stood up, nodding. “Okay, but, before I go, can I ask something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Um, I washed Marcy, since she did such a good job keeping me company and, well, that smell that she came with kind of...washed out. And, uh...I don’t know what it was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “If you bring her over some time, I can work my magic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Aw, come on. Is it a secret?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Yup! Now, shoo, before my germs hop on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “Fine, fine. Text me, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “O-Okay!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          Kyle pet her head and left the house with a smile. Heidi giggled to herself and curled up on the couch, holding her fawn close to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>          “I think I’ll name you Matthew,” she whispered, as a cool mint scent hit her nose.</span>
</p>
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